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CAMP USA G Comp Wind Gloves Review: When Dexterity Matters

CAMP USA G Comp Wind Gloves are Softshell Gloves that come with an optional outer wind shell that is stored in a pocket on the top of the wrist.
CAMP USA G Comp Wind Gloves are a modular glove system that includes Softshell Gloves and Wind Shells, stored in a pocket on the top of the wrist.

CAMP USA’s G Comp Wind Gloves will be of interest to winter hikers and ski-mountaineers. The G Comp Wind Gloves are a modular glove system with highly breathable softshell gloves that can be covered with a windproof shell, and stored in a pocket in the glove’s wrist cuff. The wind shells are attached to the gloves so you can’t lose them and only cover the backs of the softshell gloves, not the palms, so they don’t interfere with grippy patches found on the palms, the thumb, and index finger.

CAMP USA G Comp Wind Gloves

Breathability
Dexterity
Warmth
Features

Excellent

The G Comp Wind Gloves are a modular glove system with softshell gloves that can be covered with a windproof shell, stored in the glove's wrist cuff.

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Wearing the CAMP G Comp wind shells over the softshell gloves at treeline on Mt Resolution, White Mountains, New Hampshire.
Wearing the CAMP G Comp wind shells over the softshell gloves at treeline on Mt Resolution, White Mountains, New Hampshire.

I wear the softshell gloves by themselves when hiking and climbing in winter conditions, covering them up with the windproof shells when my hands get cold above treeline. I’ve also found that covering the gloves when they’re slightly damp with perspiration, helps dry the gloves out, since the wind shells only cover half the gloves, allowing moisture to evaporate through the palms more quickly. This means that my gloves last longer and cuts down on the number of glove changes I need to make during a winter hike.

Glove management is a nuanced winter hiking discipline. Most hikers carry multiple pairs of winter gloves, some breathable, some waterproof, and some super warm to keep their hands comfortable during different phases of a winter hike and in different weather. Ideally, you want to preserve the warmth and utility of each pair of gloves you bring as long as possible, so it helps to have gloves that can be used in multiple ways, or mixed and matched with one another in modular ways to cut down on the number of winter gloves you need to purchase and carry.

One of the things I like best about these G Comp Wind Gloves is the dexterity they provide without sacrificing warmth. I can tie my winter hiking boots while wearing these gloves or zip and unzip my jacket, which I can’t do with any other winter gloves I own. They’re also perfectly sized for carrying an ultralight ice axe like the CAMP USA Corsa ice axe that I use, which is difficult with a fat-fingered winter glove, while the extra grippy patches provide additional thermal protection when holding the adze and pick in a ready position.

The softshell gloves are really quite technical. In addition to the grip patches, they have an elastic wrist leash so you take them off without dropping them, finger pulls on the wrist to help pull them onto your hands, reinforced synthetic leather between the thumb and forefinger for better durability, and a terry nose wipe. The density of the softshell fabric also varies on different parts of the hand and fingers to promote better breathability.

The wind shell covers the back of the hand, thumb, and fingers but leaves the grippy palm exposed
The wind shell covers the back of the hand, thumb, and fingers but leaves the grippy palm exposed.

The wind shells are thin ripstop nylon that shed wind well but are not waterproof. They are covered with a DWR coating however, that makes water bead up and roll off them. When deployed they just cover the thumb, fingers, and back of the hand, leaving the palm open so you can still grip trekking poles or tools.

If these gloves sound intriguing, but you need a warmer glove, CAMP USA has several other models that you can choose from which are warmer and/or waterproof, including the CAMP G Compwarm which has insulated and windproof mittens.

CAMP USA makes great ultralight winter gear and these G Comp Wind gloves are just another example. I also use their Corsa Ice Axe, Stalker Crampons, and XLC Nanotech Aluminum Crampons and swear by them

Disclosure: CAMP USA provided Philip Werner with a pair of G Comp Wind Gloves for review. 

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9 comments

  1. thx for great review.
    finding the right glove has long been a challenge. they’re either warm but clumsy, dexterous but not warm, or not snow/moisture resistant, or not durable. For now I’m using cheap atlas work gloves, with latex palms/fingers, and knit backs. Great fit, great sensitivity, durable for two bux per pair on amazon in multi-unit packs. They even have heavier warmer models with the similar approach.
    But I really like this partial-shell concept.

  2. For general trekking I’d recommend trying out the Pacer pole over mitts (pogies), even in a roaring gale well below freezing they keep the hands toasty.

  3. This looks interesting for the hiking photographer as well. So far as I can tell, there are no good sizing guides. I assume that all sizes are men’s sizes. It would be nice if they could also give the equivalent number sizes as used for surgical gloves – these are more or less standard sizes, not differing between manufacturers. It is really hard to guess fit for mail-order gloves. I haven’t seen this brand in the stores.

  4. How is the fit on these? Right now Amazon only has XL and XXL. If these fit like, say, Outdoor Research gloves an XL will be too big for me. But if they run small I might be able to make it work…

  5. After reading your review I bought a pair of these gloves in time for our last snowshoeing trip. I used the published sizing numbers for these and for a pair of Black Diamond gloves that I have to guess in the size. I wear M for nearly all BD gloves, ordered a Large for the Camp gloves, and found they fit quite well.

    In use, the gloves are grippy, wind-resistant, and quite dextrous. Not especially warm, even with the shells deployed. I often started a hike in warmer gloves, and switched to the Camp gloves as I built up heat. The shells do improve the warmth, but I found them surprisingly difficult to deploy if I was wearing the gloves. No doubt I need to practice this a bit more. Also, the tight cuffs make the gloves rather difficult to put on or take off. The cuffs also fit well under cuffs, so a trade-off there. I worry a bit about the high-grip patches on the fingers and palm; I wonder how long they will last in use. Good so far, but the patches look a bit frail.

    Despite the whining, I do like these gloves. They neatly fit between my warmer but bulky shelled gloves and light and flexible fleece gloves with no wind resistance at all. Good call on these. Thanks.

  6. Thanks for the review!

    I recently bought the G Comp Warm gloves, which is basically the same glove but, the “overglove” has insulation as well, so it’s more of an actual mitten than just a cover (although it looks and works basically the same; just warmer.) I returned them, however, as the amount of material pushing down on the top of my wrist was something I knew would bother me too much; it was annoying from the second I put them on and knew it would then bother me all day.

    With that, I’m wondering how the wrist feels when the overglove is packed away in its pocket? Do you even notice it? It less material so I’m hoping it’s thin enough and packs small enough that it’s not even noticeable. Thoughts?

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